Bracteantha plant named ‘Redbralem’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Bracteantha plant named ‘Redbralem’, characterized by its compact and bushy growth habit; upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant form; freely-flowering habit; light yellow-colored involucral bracts and orange-colored disc florets; and strong peduncles that hold inflorescences above the foliage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofBracteantha plant, botanically known as Bracteantha bracteata andreferred to by the name ‘Redbralem’.

The new Bracteantha is a product of a planned breeding program conductedby the Inventor in Redland Bay, Queensland, Australia. The objective ofthe program is to create and develop Bracteantha cultivars with acompact growth habit, numerous inflorescences with attractive involucralbract coloration, and long-lasting inflorescences.

The new Bracteantha originated from a cross by the Inventor of theBracteantha bracteata cultivar Hasting's Gold, not patented, as thefemale, or seed, parent with an unidentified proprietary selection ofBracteantha bracteata as the male, or pollen, parent. The newBracteantha was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a plantwithin the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment inRedland Bay, Queensland, Australia in 1997. The selection of the newBracteantha was based on its light yellow-colored involucral bracts andcompact growth habit.

Asexual reproduction of the new Bracteantha by terminal cuttings takenin a controlled environment in Redland Bay, Queensland, Australia, hasshown that the unique features of this new Bracteantha are stable andreproduced true to type in successive generations.

The new Bracteantha has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength, lightintensity, photoperiod, and water and nutritional status without,however, any variance in genotype.

The following characteristics have been repeatedly observed and aredetermined to be basic characteristics of ‘Redbralem’ and distinguishthe new Bracteantha as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Compact and bushy growth habit.

2. Upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant form.

3. Freely-flowering habit.

4. Light yellow-colored involucral bracts and orange-colored discflorets.

5. Strong peduncles that hold inflorescences above the foliage.

Plants of the new Bracteantha differ from plants of the male selectionprimarily in plant growth habit.

Plants of the new Bracteantha can be compared to plants of the femaleparent, the cultivar Hasting's Gold. In side-by-side comparisonsconducted bt the Inventor in Redland Bay, Queensland, Australia, plantsof the new Bracteantha differed from plants of the cultivar Hasting'sGold in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Bracteantha are more freely flowering than plantsof the cultivar Hasting's Gold.

2. Plants of the new Bracteantha have shorter peduncles than plants ofthe cultivar Hasting's Gold.

3. Inflorescences of the new Bracteantha have light yellow-coloredinvolucral bracts whereas inflorescences of the cultivar Hasting's Goldhave dark yellow-colored involucral bracts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Bracteantha.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof a typical plant of ‘Redbralem’ grown in a 15-cm container for about 8weeks.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view oftypical inflorescences of ‘Redbralem’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following observations, measurements and values describe plantsgrown in Redland Bay, Queensland, Australia, under outdoor conditionswith day temperatures ranging from 20 to 30° C. and night temperaturesranging from 10 to 15° C. Rooted liners of the new Bracteantha wereplanted in 15-cm containers and grown for about 8 weeks. Colorreferences are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart,1995 edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionarysignificance are used.

Botanical classification: Bracteantha bracteata cultivar Redbralem.

Parentage:

Female or seed parent.—Bracteantha bracteata cultivar Hasting's Gold,not patented.

Male or pollen parent.—Unidentified proprietary selection of Bracteanthabracteata, not patented.

Propagation:

Type.—By cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—Summer: About 7 days at 30° C. Winter: About 14days at 20° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting.—Summer: About 21 days at 30° C.Winter: About 28 days at 20° C.

Root description.—Fine to fibrous; freely-branching.

Plant description:

General appearance.—Compact and bushy growth habit; upright, outwardlyspreading and rounded plant form with dense foliage and inflorescencesheld above the foliage on short peduncles. Very freely branching, about35 lateral branches per plant. Appropriate for 15-cm containers.

Crop time.—Rapid growth rate; to produce a finished 15-cm containerizedplant from rooted cuttings, about 8 weeks are required.

Plant height.—About 15.5 cm.

Plant width.—About 21.2 cm.

Lateral branch description.—Length: About 7 cm. Width: About 4.2 mm.Internode length: About 1.15 cm. Texture: Moderately pubescent. Color:147D.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate, single, sessile. Quantityof leaves per lateral branch: About 11. Length: About 6.37 cm. Width:About: 1.48 cm. Shape: Linear elliptic. Margin: Entire. Apex: Acute.Texture, both surfaces: Leathery; smooth, glabrous. Venation pattern:Narrowly arcuate to reticulate. Color: Young and fully expanded leaves,upper surface: 137B; venation, 137B. Young and fully expanded leaves,lower surface: 137C, venation, 147C.

Flowering description:

Inflorescence form.—Daisy-type composite inflorescence form.Inflorescences arranged acropetally on a capitulum. Inflorescencesrounded.

Inflorescence longevity.—Inflorescences last on the plant for about 21days. Inflorescences persistent.

Natural flowering season.—Natural flowering season is year-round inRedland Bay, Queensland, Australia; flowering continuous.

Quantity of inflorescences.—One terminal inflorescence per lateralbranch, about 35 inflorescences per plant.

Inflorescence aspect.—Mostly flat.

Inflorescence diameter.—About 5.38 cm.

Inflorescence depth (height).—About 1.69 cm.

Disc diameter.—About 1.64 cm.

Fragrance.—Strong; sweet.

Involucral bracts.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 153 in multiplewhorls. Length: About 1.79 cm. Width: About 6.4 mm. Shape: Ligulate,concave. Apex: Acute. Base: Truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture, bothsurfaces: Smooth, papery, hard, satiny. Aspect: Mostly flat andperpendicular to the peduncle; apices of bracts on outer whorls slightlycupped. Color: When opening and fully opened, upper surface: 2B. Whenopening and fully opened, lower surface: 2C.

Disc florets.—Three inconspicuous whorls of female filiform floretssurround the perimeter of the disc, remainder of disc covered withbisexual disc florets. Quantity per inflorescence: About 925. Shape:Tubular with five lobes. Length: About 8.7 mm. Width: About 0.7 mm.Color: Immature: 23B. Mature: 23A.

Penduncle.—Length: About 7.7 cm. Diameter: About 2.3 mm. Aspect: Erect.Strength: Strong. Texture: Moderately pubescent. Color: 147D.

Inflorescence bud.—Length: About 1.77 cm. Diameter: About 3.55 cm.Shape: Broadly ovoid, rounded. Color: 11C.

Androecium.—Present only on disc florets. Stamen quantity/arrangement:Fused anther tube with 5 long thin linear anthers surrounding the style.Anther color: 23A. Amount of pollen: Abundant. Pollen color: Yellow.

Gynoecium.—Present on both filiform and disc florets. Pistil number: Oneper floret. Style color: 23A. Stigma shape: Bi-parted. Stigma color:23A.

Seed.—Length: About 2.6 mm. Diameter: About 0.8 mm. Color: 165A.

Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Bracteantha have not beenobserved to be resistant to pathogens or pests common to Bracteantha.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Bracteantha plant named‘Redbralem’, as illustrated and described.